Sumo in a Ninja Fight: A Critical Study of Army Force Structure in the 21st Century Environment

Abstract

Abstract : The purpose of this paper is to answer the question: does the Army's force structure allow for a sufficient amount of infantry forces for the security challenges of the first decade of the 21st Century? This monograph examines the late 1990's Army force structure in light of the changed security environment since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the increase of America's active role in world security. At central issue is the changes in the security environment, verses the lack of change in the Army's structure and strategy for waging war and the resultant force structure which leaves Army force structure critically short of infantry. This monograph first examines the historical role of infantry forces within Germany, the Soviet Union, and the United States to provide insight to the evolution of infantry on the 20% Century maneuver battlefield. A connection is made between the nature of infantry evolution and the nature of the basic military strategies of annihilation and attrition warfare. Chapter 2 describes the changes in the global security environment, from the collapse of the Warsaw Pact and projected to the first decade of the 21st Century. Highlighted are various conflicts in the 1990's which negated maneuver warfare, placed heavy demands for large numbers of regular dismount infantry forces, and gave rise to concerns of Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT). Of particular concern is the propensity of MOUT for U.S. Army divisions in the near future and their ability to operate on the attrition battlefield. Chapter 3 examines the post-Vietnam development of the light and heavy divisions and the significance of the annihilation-based strategy of the Cold War era. The Cold-War strategy, emphasizing mechanized strengths and minimizing the infantry role, is identified as an important reason for the light/heavy delineation of forces; unresponsive and out of balance in the new threat environment.